Daily Encouragement (01/09/12) "You Were There!"

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A daily, Bible-based message of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. Home · About Us · Archives · Podcast · Free email ·   ·     ·     <Previous Message       ·       Archive edition Monday, January 9, 2012 Amaryllis What a lovely burst of color the amaryllis provides amidst the bleak days of winter "hibernation" for flowers and vegetation. Listen to this message on your audio player. "You Were There!" "But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; He showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden" (Genesis 39:20-21). In the course of our present Sunday School lessons we are studying the life of Joseph. One can repeatedly read the account in Genesis from childhood into old age, and find refreshment and challenge each time, since Joseph is a most intriguing Bible character and his story full of surprises. A.W. Pink, in his book "Gleanings in Genesis", notes 101 parallels between Joseph and Christ. Obviously I won't list them all here!* While a young boy, Joseph's dreams revealed that he was going to be a man of great power. What his dreams didn’t disclose was the humiliating and painful process he would endure before reaching his exalted position in his adopted land of Egypt. Joseph’s jealous brothers who sold him reported him dead, robbing him of his privileged position in Jacob’s household. He was then picked over and purchased like a slab of meat. When things finally began to work in his favor he was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife. Thrown into prison with no certainty about his future, Joseph interpreted dreams for two prisoners, who "just happened" to be associated with Pharaoh. He was given the interpretation for their future outcome, but none for himself (as the account is revealed). But God would exalt him in due time to a far greater honor and place of influence than before his prison sentence. Following the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream, he rose to Prime Minister under Pharaoh. Joseph’s prison garb was exchanged for royal attire, and Pharaoh himself “took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger” (41:42). Then he said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt” (41:44).  Wow!  Double wow!! Lifted from utter humility to unbelievable honor, God was working on the inner person of Joseph the entire time. He learned a great deal about trusting God through the numerous and enduring trials. Scripture assures us that God's hand was upon Joseph's life. Repeatedly, in the midst of every major setback, the Bible declares, "The Lord was with him." Joseph was but a boy of only 17 years when he came to this foreign godless nation. He experienced great hurt, fought bitterness and rejection, and longed to see his family and homeland. Yet he remained faithful to the God of his childhood in a land of idolatry, without the encouragement of other believers, no Christian retreats or Men's Conventions, and no written Scripture to sustain him. Yes, indeed, "the Lord was with him." We appreciate a song by the group, Avalon, titled "You Were There" reminding us of God's presence in the trying times of Biblical characters and His promises to us. We hope each of you will experience the assurance that indeed "The Lord is with you". Are the hard experiences of life, including hurts from others, going to make you bitter or better? Joseph expressed one of the great principles of life he personally realized from this very difficult experience; "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20). May we too look for the bigger picture of God's overall plan and remain faithful no matter the painful circumstance of our lives, for the greater good of those whom God has called us to reach. The New Testament repeats this assurance of God's presence with the great promise many of us have memorized: "'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'" (Hebrews 13:5, 6). Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer: Father, during the natural course of events, we often declare “God is good” when circumstances lean in our favor. But the life of Joseph teaches us that, in the midst of granting us giftings and favor, You also grant us unwanted circumstances in our life to bring about Your intended purpose. By the time Joseph married and had two sons he learned that it is You who makes us “forget all our trouble”. And it is You who “makes us fruitful in the land of our suffering.” May we embrace the same attitude as Joseph, who learned far more about You through his years of suffering than his years of ease. Keep us faithful and growing in our sorrows and suffering, in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. A South African reader writes regarding the story we shared about James Hess, who read through the Bible 55 times: "This reminds me of the story of the young lad who was visiting with his young friend. Upon noticing his friend's grandmother reading her Bible, he said; "Whenever I pass your grandma's room she's reading her Bible". To this his friend replied; "She's cramming for her finals!" One of the most peculiar sights we see here in Lancaster County is this "cactus" growing in a farm field near Mastersonville, PA we passed yesterday. We wonder if the property owners were originally from Arizona and "planted" it to remind them of home! However: Humphrey, the Lancaster County camel! We periodically pass this camel west of Elizabethtown. The owner is a Christian and has an annual Christmas display with real animals. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "You Were There"  Video  Avalon  This is the song we referred to in our message. Excellent music, stirring lyrics with outstanding graphics. "Were You There?"  Video  Selah This is not necessarily related but couldn't help notice the title with the same words but arranged differently. Is there a name for this? (Actually I also located a song titled "There You Were" but it is not a spiritual song!) * The remarkable list of parallels by A.W. Pink can be found here. Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.

Weber family Christmas 2011 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update  (Revised 12/11) Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. We ask you to consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible. 2011 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 12/31/11: $21,391.00  Note: Due to a delay in posting for offerings made directly to my chaplaincy account a final accounting for 2011 will not be available till mid January. We want to express thanks to all who support our ministry! SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Were you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net?  If you desire you can receive your own free! To receive these "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. This newsletter is never sent by us unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR a friend forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the rss feed or as an email subscription through feedburner. Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If you no longer desire to receive these messages you can remove your address from the list by merely using the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Weekly Version: The weekly version is intended for those who may not check their email regularly or who may desire less frequent mailings. It is Friday's message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter: The daily message and prayer on Facebook.  The daily message and prayer on Twitter. Reader Survey:  Please take a few minutes to assist us in improving our ministry effectiveness by filling out this online reader survey. To take the survey click here. Please feel free to pass these messages on! Our other blogs: "A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message! "A Little Foolishness" - Humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) (Note: This material is satire!) "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church. (Actually this is my intent but I haven't done much with it!) "Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. All of these songs are also available for download on the site. Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com. Any orders placed to Christian Book Distributers using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for using these links when purchasing online through CBD! Personal Mission Statement "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity." How to become a child of God Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. © Copyright 2012 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 Contact us Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net

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Daily Encouragement (01/06/12) "We'll Have A New Body!"

Daily Encouragement Net
A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.

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A daily, Bible-based message of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. Home · About Us · Archives · Podcast · Free email ·   ·     ·     <Previous Message       ·       Archive edition Friday, January 6, 2012 McConnell's Mill (Photo by Howard Blichfeldt) The gristmill in western Pennsylvania was one of the first rolling mills in the country, processing corn, oats, wheat and buckwheat for local customers. Listen to this message on your audio player. "We'll Have A New Body!" "Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:50-52). "For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven" (2 Corinthians 5:1,2). During the course of our chaplaincy visits yesterday Brooksyne visited with Jean, an employee, who inspects small parts. She's not just your average, everyday employee since she’s 83 years old and has worked at the same company for over 60 years!* Following a holiday break employees excitedly converse with us about their family gatherings.  Jean is intent on her work and usually rather quiet, but she enjoys talking about her extended family. A single woman, she comes from a large family who had gathered for Christmas where she had a conversation with her two ½ year old great, great nephew. After the New Years dinner Jean was slowly rising from her seat and noticed the child observing her carefully. She explained: "I move slowly because I get stiff; I’m old and have aches and pains. Do you ever get that problem?" The little boy responded, "No…. I'm new." I like the way Estienne put it, “If Youth but knew; if age but could.” Well, the fact is many of us identify with the aging and perishable aspect of our earthly bodies, similar to Jean. We may also recall when our bodies were young and vibrant. I recall when Brooksyne and I were dating and the day that I jumped over her car to impress her.  (Editor’s Note: The photo on the right is not Stephen. Thankfully, he didn’t dent my orange Maverick that I’d received for High School Graduation when he was showing off his long jump.) Actually I did more than a few potentially foolish things when I was younger and even in my younger middle aged years such as jumping off a church roof in New England into a pile of snow, over and over on a bright fun-filled winter afternoon! "Beauty is fleeting" the Bible says, and so is youth. It’s a fleeting season in our lives that passes before we even realize the benefits of being young! Novelist Joseph Conrad described the temporariness of youth as "the feeling that will never come back any more --the feeling that I thought could last forever, outlast the sea, the earth, and all men; the deceitful feeling that lures us on to joys, to perils, to love, to vain effort --to death; the triumphant conviction of strength, the heat of life in the handful of dust, the glow in the heart that with every year grows dim, grows cold, grows small, and expires --and expires, too soon, too soon --before life itself." Youth is temporary, but so is middle age and old age. The Apostle Paul is speaking of our temporary situation in the daily text: "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." That's a good verse to hide deep in our hearts. Elsewhere we read: "For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come" (Hebrews 13:14). The Apostle James describes this temporary situation quite graphically: "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14). It's interesting that in the daily text Paul speaks of the "earthly tent" which underscores the temporariness of our present life. However our future abode is described as "a building from God, an eternal house in heaven." The ongoing challenge for each of us is not driving the stakes too deeply in our present "tent". We must take care in not getting too settled nor should we ceaselessly strive for comfort on this side. That's particularly true for those of us who live in relative affluence, which can be such a seducing trap. One day we will be transported to our eternal home and we'll have a new body; one that won’t grow stiff or slow down due to the aging process commonly experienced on this side of heaven! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer: Father, we look forward to the mysterious moment when we who follow Christ will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, when the trumpet sounds from heaven. Our perishable bodies will take on the imperishable and we will be forever young, no longer plagued with the moans and groans of this earthly body. Until Christ returns or until You call us home, we remain hopeful and vigilant in our spiritual pilgrimage, no matter the condition of this flesh and blood body. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. * We wrote a message about Jean in 2010 when she reached the sixty year employment milestone. We will be writing about Everett, another employee in this same company, who also reached the 60 year milestone this month. Everett is one of the most colorful and joy-filled workers we have ever encountered. This particular company has a lot of long-time workers and I try to identify the reason. By appearances it would not be the most interesting work; some of it is quite tedious and downright monotonous. But a feature we have noted is that the employees really do love and care about each other. A reader noted in regard to yesterday's message on "Devoted To Study": This message reminded me of a viewing my husband and I recently attended.  The man was James Hess, a great man of God. He and his family were missionaries in Honduras many years. At the viewing the Bible was on display in which he had marked down every year he read through the bible.  Starting in 1950 he had read through the Bible 55 times.  Several years he had read the New Testament twice.  We found this amazing!  He was 85 years at the time of his death. Our friend Tommy Carpenter, who lost his wife and grandson this last October in an automobile accident, (see footnote here) shares the following perspective on the city to come: I’m Looking For a City “By faith Abraham when he was called to go out into a place which he should receive for an inheritance, obeyed: and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith, he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:8-10). I’m looking for a city: With no Anguish, Anxiety, or Anger; With no Bereavement or Burdens; With no Corruption, Crime, or Confusion With no Disease, Discouragement or Danger; With no Enemies, Earthquakes or Embalmers; With no Failures, Famines or Farewells; With no Greed, Guilt, Germs or Graves; With no Hate, Harm or Hunger; With no Iniquity, Injury or Immorality; With no Jealousy, vulgar Jesting, Jezebels or Judases With no Kicking, Knifing or Killing; With no Lameness, Loss or Lying; With no Maliciousness, Murmuring or Misery; With no Necessities, Neglect or Night; With no Occult, Offenders or Oppressors; With no Peril, Perplexities or Pain; With no Quitters, Quarrelers, or Questions; With no Rebels, Reprobates or Robbers; With no Separation, Sorrow or Satan; With no Troubles, Torment or Tears; With no Unbelievers, Ungodliness or Undertakers; With no Violence, Vexation or Vanity; With no Weakness, War or Weeping; With no X-cuses, X-tortion or X-iles; With no Yearning, Yokes or Yesterdays; With no Z’s to Zap our imaginations limiting our vocabulary to adequately express the beauty and splendor of heaven! "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him" (I Corinthians 2:9). Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "I'll Have A New Body"  Video  Homecoming Singers "I Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now"  Video  The Happy Goodmans "The Light Of That City"  Video  Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir Today's gristmill photo was taken by our friend Howard Blichfeldt and was used with his permission. He comments: This is a beautiful location no matter what time of year you arrive. I have seen it in all seasons since the time my father brought me here as a child to fish or walk. One must be careful though as Slippery Rock Creek can be very dangerous water and the shoreline rocks are as slippery as black ice. That said, this is a place worth visiting more than once and winter is especially pristine. The water is pure and the blanket of snow makes everything look so unspoiled. The sounds of winter are plentiful here whether the occasional chatter of a red squirrel, the tapping of a lone woodpecker, the sound of rushing water or the absence of anyone else, I am always drawn into the peacefulness of the moment. Nature always finds a way of reminding me of its healing power, a force exceeded by no one but the One who provides it. Howard's photo site is here. Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.

Weber family Christmas 2011 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update  (Revised 12/11) Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. We ask you to consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible. 2011 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 12/31/11: $21,391.00  Note: Due to a delay in posting for offerings made directly to my chaplaincy account a final accounting for 2011 will not be available till mid January. We want to express thanks to all who support our ministry! SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Were you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net?  If you desire you can receive your own free! To receive these "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. This newsletter is never sent by us unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR a friend forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the rss feed or as an email subscription through feedburner. Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If you no longer desire to receive these messages you can remove your address from the list by merely using the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Weekly Version: The weekly version is intended for those who may not check their email regularly or who may desire less frequent mailings. It is Friday's message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter: The daily message and prayer on Facebook.  The daily message and prayer on Twitter. Reader Survey:  Please take a few minutes to assist us in improving our ministry effectiveness by filling out this online reader survey. To take the survey click here. Please feel free to pass these messages on! Our other blogs: "A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message! "A Little Foolishness" - Humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) (Note: This material is satire!) "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church. (Actually this is my intent but I haven't done much with it!) "Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. All of these songs are also available for download on the site. Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com. Any orders placed to Christian Book Distributers using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for using these links when purchasing online through CBD! Personal Mission Statement "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity." How to become a child of God Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. © Copyright 2012 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 Contact us Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net

Daily Encouragement is issued Monday-Friday.  To make sure you continue to receive these e-mails in your Inbox (so they're not sent to a junk folder), please add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your address book or safe sender list. You are receiving these recurring messages as a subscriber to Daily Encouragement Net because you signed up on our website or otherwise requested it unless someone forwarded the message to you. If you desire to unsubscribe use the link below.  However, please do not use this link unless your address is the subscribed address below as you will otherwise unsubscribe the person who forwarded it to you!

 

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Daily Encouragement (01/05/12) "Devoted To Study"

Daily Encouragement Net
A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.

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A daily, Bible-based message of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. Home · About Us · Archives · Podcast · Free email ·   ·     ·     <Previous Message       ·       Archive edition Thursday, January 5, 2012 Mural in front of church in Mastersonville, PA Listen to this message on your audio player. "Devoted To Study" "For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel" (Ezra 7:10). "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). Many churches have a ministry program called "Bible Quiz" where a dedicated "coach" leads youth in the study and memorization of God's Word. These youth have friendly but intensely serious competition with youth in other churches who have similar teams. For several years Ester was on the team in our church and benefited immensely. We had a quiz team in a previous church I pastored in Northern Pennsylvania about twenty years ago and can testify to its long-lasting impact. To this day I stay in contact with many of those who were in it, most who receive these messages. What a blessing to see them staying faithful to the Lord in their adult years! Bernie Elliot is a longtime friend and reader of this series who has devoted his ministry to Bible Quizzing. He writes, "There is a hunger and thirst for the presence and the Word of God in our young people's lives." Many Bible College students, or for that matter Christian students in any setting, know the verse, "Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body" (Ecclesiastes 12:12).  We consider the intense times of study in this phase of life. But for too many, including Christians, it may essentially end following our formal education. But study is an ongoing part of life for the growing Christian, especially the study of the Holy Scriptures. It's not merely while we are young or perhaps while preparing for ministry or another career, but it should be a lifelong pursuit. I am blessed by a request in what is likely the very last letter that Paul wrote. As he recognized the time of his departure (death) was near, he wrote to Timothy. "When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments" (2 Timothy 4:13). He wanted to study right up to the end! The daily text provides a great example for us all. "For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD." The NASV translates this, "For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it." That should be said of all of us. Among characteristics I want others to observe in my life is this, "Stephen has devoted himself to the study and observance of the Scriptures and to teaching its decrees and laws to others."  (Having the entire Bible in our possession I would believe it proper to expand the "law of the Lord" to mean the Scriptures.) In fact we hope our daily encouragement net messages are one of numerous study components in your life and we make that our daily prayer when we prepare these messages. We pray that God's people will know His truth and experience freedom. "No studying" may sound appealing but real growth takes place as we get serious in study and observe the truths of God's Word. The Spirit bearing fruit in our lives is a direct result of the application of the truths that we study, so let us resolve that we will keep studying! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer: Father, we want to be diligent in our study of the Word of God, not only to receive Your approval, but to more fully understand Your plan for our lives.  Thank You for the Bible that's like a road map showing us where to go and how to get there.  And the greatest blessing is that Your Spirit illumines the path before us so that we do not walk in the dark, but we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit who shows us the way to life everlasting.  Keep us on the right path, we pray. Amen. Note: Providing adequate exposition of today's verse would take a series! Like Ezra we need to devote ourselves to:         1) Study                 2) and observance                            3) and teaching to others (See 2 Timothy 2:2) Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Knowing You"  Video  Robin Mark   (A Chinese version) "Oh, I Want To Know You More"  Video  Steve Fry "This Is My Desire"  Video  Hillsong "I Want To Know You More"  Video  Don Moen Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.

Weber family Christmas 2011 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update  (Revised 12/11) Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. We ask you to consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible. 2011 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 12/31/11: $21,391.00  Note: Due to a delay in posting for offerings made directly to my chaplaincy account a final accounting for 2011 will not be available till mid January. We want to express thanks to all who support our ministry! SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Were you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net?  If you desire you can receive your own free! To receive these "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. This newsletter is never sent by us unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR a friend forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the rss feed or as an email subscription through feedburner. Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If you no longer desire to receive these messages you can remove your address from the list by merely using the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Weekly Version: The weekly version is intended for those who may not check their email regularly or who may desire less frequent mailings. It is Friday's message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter: The daily message and prayer on Facebook.  The daily message and prayer on Twitter. Reader Survey:  Please take a few minutes to assist us in improving our ministry effectiveness by filling out this online reader survey. To take the survey click here. Please feel free to pass these messages on! Our other blogs: "A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message! "A Little Foolishness" - Humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) (Note: This material is satire!) "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church. (Actually this is my intent but I haven't done much with it!) "Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. All of these songs are also available for download on the site. Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com. Any orders placed to Christian Book Distributers using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for using these links when purchasing online through CBD! Personal Mission Statement "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity." How to become a child of God Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. © Copyright 2012 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 Contact us Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net

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